1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer-implemented graphics systems, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for improved spline drawing in a computer-implemented graphics program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Splines are free-form, smooth, irregular curves. Splines are used in computer-implemented graphics programs to represent lines, surfaces, edges, and other geometric shapes.
Typically, a spline is comprised of one or more curves connected by a series of vertices, which may or may not include control points. The vertices determine the location of the spline, while the control points contain the curve information for the spline. The curves in the splines can be reshaped by moving the vertices and/or control points. A fit tolerance can be used to control how closely the spline conforms to the vertices, wherein a low tolerance value causes the spline to form close to vertices and a tolerance of 0 (zero) forces the spline to pass through the vertices.
There is a need in the art for a way to generate splines that is more intuitive than current methods. There is also a need in the art for a way to quickly generate splines from the selection of vertices as well as by drawing the splines in freehand. There is also a need in the art to be able to quickly switch between the selection of vertices and the freehand drawing of splines. The present invention satisfies those needs.